Richard Knerr

With his best friend, Arthur "Spud" Melin, Knerr founded a toy company, which they named after the sound their first product, a slingshot, produced: "Wham-O". The company produced a parade of products that entered the American and world psyche, and still produce nostalgia today: the Hula Hoop; the Frisbee; the Superball; the Slip 'n' Slide and the Water Wiggle; Silly String. "In April of 1958, people were standing around the block at department stores that were waiting to get their shipment" of Hula Hoops, said Knerr's son, Chuck. The company was turning them out at the rate of 20,000 per day. But "by September, you couldn't give them away. Once every household had two or three, it was over because they lasted forever." Knerr and Melin sold the company in 1982. Knerr died January 14 after suffering a stroke. He was 82. From This is True for 13 January 2008 Suggestions for further reading: Catering: A Guide to Managing a Successful Business Operation by Bruce Mattel, The Culinary Institute of America Amazon Price: $25.14 Customer Review: This is a well-organized text with comprehensive coverage of business challenges faced by a caterer, ranging from in-hotel to off-site mom/pop style businesses. It is very helpful and readable, although I hoped for more recipes and display ideas to l...   Barbie in A Fashion Fairytale (Barbie Panorama Sticker Book) by Reader's Digest Amazon Price: $7.99   Barbie Magnetic Fashions: Book and Playset by Cappi Novell, Mattel Photo Studio Amazon Price: $11.24 Customer Review: This is not an item I would have picked for my daughter because I was never that into "paper dolls" myself...but she picked it out and purchased it with her own money. I have to say it was a great pick. I was very surprised with the amount of time ...   Barbie in A Mermaid Tale (Barbie Panorama Sticker Book) by Reader's Digest Amazon Price: $7.99 Customer Review: My daughter enjoyed this book very much. It is a story with a reusable stickers that she could manipulate to retell the story or make up her own story. It came in very handy for our long car trips. It is a great travel toy!   Barbie and Ruth by Robin Gerber Amazon Price: Customer Review: The book is, in a word, superb. Ruth Handler herself was a dynamic woman fit to give us one of the most enduring icons birthed in the last century and Gerber captures the spirit of a life thoroughly lived with the finesse of a fairly good novelist. I...   Newsfeed display by CaRP

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